Atlas Summit 2012 -- The heroes of Atlas Shrugged are rational, productive businesspeople. In Ayn Rand's thought, a career represents the central value in one's life, the means by which one supports oneself independently and reshapes the world.

In this talk, William R Thomas discusses the value of a career of productive work in the context of the Objectivist philosophy and the events in the novel. He will consider how Objectivist ethics apply to productive titans Hank Rearden and how they apply to ordinary workers like Eddie Willers.

About The Author:

William R Thomas is a Amazon.com best-selling author. He is Lecturer in Economics at the University at Albany. He has been a lecturer at the University of Michigan, where he taught the economic history of the United States and China. He has also lectured at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and conducted research under the auspices of the People's University of China. Thomas is a graduate of Oberlin College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and he holds a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.